Nick Clegg loves Britain, and fighting Farage

Nick Clegg’s spring conference speech seems to have been written entirely with Nigel Farage in mind. The Lib Dem leader has decided to go after the Ukip chief, and today’s address was the latest example of the old party of protest directly engaging with the new one. Where Farage had a slogan about loving Britain and voting Ukip (which would have been better if it hadn’t been borrowed from the BNP), Clegg had a whole Love Actually-esque speech about it, ranging from affectionate asides about cups of tea and queues to this country’s love of freedom and its generosity.

It was pretty difficult to disagree with anything that the Deputy Prime Minister said about the lovely things about Britain. But his assessment of Britain’s future was of course markedly different to the one that Farage offers because Clegg wants to make loving Britain about voting IN rather than out of the European Union. The two men can scrap like characters in Bridget Jones over who loves Britain more in their radio and television debates.

But he also suggested that loving Britain involves loving coalition, and to that end he gave us two equally-sized chunks of criticism of the Tories and Labour – just to show that he dislikes them both equally. He told the conference that Labour stood for ‘profligacy, economic incompetence, a bloated and cumbersome state’, anti-business sentiment, trade union power and recalcitrance over the economy. Meanwhile, the Tories were responsible for ‘widening inequality, a remorseless shrinking of our public services’ and were keen to protect the wealthy and single out the poor.

Instead, the Lib Dems are ‘the only party who will not ask the British people to choose between a stronger economy and a fairer society’. Clegg also came close to suggesting that the Lib Dems could end boom and bust by saying ‘instead of fake booms and reckless consumption, we invest in growth that is balanced and sustainable’.

As for whether Nick Clegg himself will be the man doing all of this after 2015, there seems to have some amusing kerfuffle for most of today over if, when, and in what circumstances the Deputy Prime Minister might step down. Sam Coates from the Times has been following the twists and turns all day.

Tom, I was not referring to Clegg as patriotic, I was talking Nigel Farage

global city

I hope that Isabel’s next piece is an in depth look at how sincere this ‘love of country’ of Clegg’s.

There are plenty of really sneering quotes out there to catch him out in the bare faced lie that the whole speech was/is.

He thinks that the British are cocky and that the EU needs to slap us down a peg or two.

Please Isabel, go and do some research. He is not a patriot, he is genuinely a Quisling.

simmo70

BROKEN BRITISH POLITICS – A LOTTERY

Let us forget Individual Politicians for their proclivity
for being Deceitful Liars but let us look back on some previous Statements made by Party Leaders before an Election .

THATCHER

– “FOR ME, THE HEART OF POLITICS is not political theory, it is people and how
they want to live their lives “.That was the opening statement to the Tory
manifesto by Thatcher ,as we all know she Ruined more Lives than let People
Live them .

BLAIR –

Peter Mandelson
and Alistair Campbell ‘s Pure Spin gave the impression that the Blair
government was more dishonest than its predecessors .

CAMERON –

“ Vote Conservative and You shall have Your say on the EU
by way of a Referendum”

MILIBAND – 2014 March .

To sway Voters Miliband must come up with something New
and with Substance .His promise today to Fund Jobs for young people who have
been out of work for a year or more has a bite to it coupled with ‘it will be
funded by a Tax on Bankers Bonuses ‘ will appeal to those that are appalled by
Bankers being rewarded for Failure .

It does little for the middle aged of us who have been
made redundant ,it says nothing of future Job Security ,will he Repeal the Minimum
Wage ,the No Hours Contracts ,Agencies or is this another Scheme to Replace
Workfare by subsidising Large Companies
and Corporations to employ the Young Unemployed .

Not since Blair’s half-sentences and disconnected aspirational part-phrases have I heard a more concentrated pile of poo as that emitted by the very unpleasant Clegg.
The moral bankruptcy and complete gutlessness displayed by the repulsive Lib Dems ‘in office’ for me makes them worthy of losing their deposits and being flushed down the s bend with said deposits.
As for Farage, I am not a UKIP supporter, but consider him to be a brave man and a real patriot.
And then there is Clegg.
Who loves a version of Britain that I and many find really quite revolting.

MikeF

By the way Isabel I don’t think Nigel Farage’s phrase about ‘loving Britain’ was ‘borrowed’ from the BNP. It is a fairly routine bit of terminology – arguably a bit platitudinous though that does not mean it still cannot be sincere – and is quite properly available for anyone to use. Come to that if Farage can be said to have ‘borrowed’ the phrase from the BNP why can’t Clegg?

Geoffrey Caton

Nick Clegg doesn’t love Britain why would he keep us in the EU then, and lose control of our borders, he is an irrelevance the liberals will lose their seats at the General Election and will be battered at the European elections in May, Nigel Farage will sweep the board, because he talks common sense and is in touch with what people think.

peterg77

NICK CLEGG IS AN ODIOUS ANTI BRITISH TRAITOR HE SHOULD BE TRIED FOR TREASON VILE LITTLE MAN.

Peter Stroud

Clegg? No one believes Clegg. This tailor’s dummy has lost all credibility sine he reneged on the boundaries act: and made such a mess of his Lord’s reform Bill.

Daniel Maris

I luv Bwitain because of all the cute dogs people walk in the park.

I luv Bwitain because of bangers and mash and fish and chips.

I luv Bwitain because we don’t immediately string up politicians who come up with ridiculous Hollywood-style lists of what they love about the country they live in.

BarkingAtTreehuggers

Stewart Lee’s Paul Nuttall routine is not Hollywood, it is out of this world.

Conway

“the Lib Dems are ‘the only party who will not ask the British people to choose between a stronger economy and a fairer society’” Presumably because with the Lib Dems we shall end up with neither.

Tony Quintus

Given the rather testy tone Clegg displayed during sections of his speech, he may well end up looking like a petulant child during his debate with Farage.
I’m calling May’s results right now
50%+ loss in Euro MPs
30%+ loss in Councillors
Much worse than that and I doubt Clegg will make the election, let alone 2020

crosscop

Clegg loves Britain? You could have fooled me. Does someone who loves Britain lie to the British nation in order to defend a violent, supremacist alien ideology after followers of that violent alien ideology have butchered a British soldier on the streets of London? What Clegg did was indefensible. He took Surra 5:32 of the Koran, removed the incriminating bits and used the abridged version to pretend that Islam condemns such atrocities. On top of that deception, he ignored the very next verse – which advocates the killing, mutilation and crucifixion of Islam’s enemies.
And then his mate Simon Hughes says he wants us to have a Muslim Prime Minister. Yes, the Lib-Dems really love Britain.

All nations have a cross to bear, and none more so than Germany with its memories of Nazism. But the British cross is more insidious still. A misplaced sense of superiority, sustained by delusions of grandeur and a tenacious obsession with the last war, is much harder to shake off. I wish Mr Puhle and Mr Sawartzki well. We need to be put back in our place.

Golben Amduke

That speech was doubtless motivated by a shameless desire for an overpaid Euro-sinecure as Commissioner for Elgin Marbles Retrieval, or Regional Deputy Chef de Cabinet for Unpasteurised Cheeses.

Watch for similar speech after his backside is tanned in the general election.

Valerie Arnold

That speech is the speech of a traitor, they used to shoot traitors, what war is he referring to>

Thanks for the link Tom, I understand what you are saying, the British are still being blamed for slavery, even though the slavers are long dead, however, I still see Cleggs rants as un patriotic and treasonous and I cannot agree that “we need to be put back in our place. I once worked in an office with a German man, it was poppy day and everyone was getting their poppies, he refused to get one in a very rude manner, I cannot remember his exact words, now, I can see why he didn’t want to wear a poppy but his arrogance was unnecessary , Germans are an arrogant race.

Tom

Clegg as been saying he is the patriot,well we can see how patriotic he is.
This is why politics is such a turn off for a large part of the country they are incapable of keeping their promises and find lying to easy.

Nick Clegg – ‘I love Britain so much I want to change it forever’. You could not make it up. Please, I beg you, Mr. Clegg, leave some material for the stand ups.

IJMO_DS

The BNP also displayed the Union Jack, should that be out of bounds as well?

Denis_Cooper

Some decades ago a famous Frenchman said that he loved Germany so much he was glad there were two of them; whereas Clegg loves this country so much that he would be glad if it ceased to exist.

Smithersjones2013

Like a bloody tourist Clegg treats the UK as a cliche and Hardman gushes over it. She is such a gullible shallow doormat. This verminous excuse for a creature (Clegg that is) wants to sell this country down the river to a bunch of power mad elitist despots who are intent on bringing about the end of national distinctions including the UK across Europe. Clegg loves this country so much he wants to see it disappear!

When I think of Nick Clegg the phrase ‘lying traitorous quisling’ comes to mind! With a bit of luck the British people will not fall for it and we will see the Libdems crushed over the next 12 months!

robbydot

Absobloodylutely!

MikeF

Clegg is ‘going after’ Farage as a last ditch tactic to try to rescue himself and his party from oblivion at the next General Election.There really is nothing more to it than that.

Valerie Arnold

MikeF, Rather than” going after” Farage he is walking into the lions den, he is soooo lucky he will have the BBC to help him, I cant wait for the LBC interview which will be much fairer.

global city

If they stick to the issues then Farage must win… as Clegg only has europhile deception on which to build his case.

GraveDave

was pretty difficult to disagree with anything that the Deputy Prime Minister said about the lovely things about Britain.

No – o? Except it comes from Nick Clegg who couldn’t even stand up to his wife enough to give any of his three children a nice English name.

Meanwhile,the Tories were responsible for ‘widening inequality, a remorseless shrinking of our public services’ and were keen to protect the wealthy and single out the poor.

And whose ‘reforms’ have been supported by Clegg all the way.
So please..

HookesLaw

Pretty pathetic double dealing by Clegg – but that (anti-toiry bigotry) market is pretty well sewn up by Labour. Where does he expect to go?

The ‘remorseless shrinking of our public services’ of course followed endless expansion by Labour.
This total lack of context is what betrays Clegg and the miserable Libdems who, having been given the opportunity, have shown themselves to be just the usual regulation thick lefties.

robbydot

I wish there had been some remorseless shrinking of the State. Come to that I wish there had been some shrinking of the State.

HookesLaw

Thousands of public sector jobs gone and more going. Was it the IFS who predicted 1.2 million by 2017?

robbydot

I’ll bet the great majority are retirement, voluntary redundancies. Brown increased the public secctor by nearly 3/4 million, most to no good effect whatever.
It needs heavy pruning, 1.2 million would be about right.

saffrin

They could get shot of at least 50% of NHS staff without it even being noticed by anyone but those that lost their none jobs.
The NHS would run better for a start.

Golben Amduke

Can we fine these bozos for making content-free speeches fit only for the septic tank? Presumably Clegg supports the injunction “The polluter pays”?

telemachus

bozo = an informal term for a youth or man; “a nice guy”;

Colonel Mustard

And:-

2. A dunce; a fool.
3. a fellow, esp. a stupid one.
4. a rude or annoying person.

It takes some backbone to stand up to the EU. Farage is the man do the job, someone has to. Camerons hope of reforms basically came to nothing and any hope of a future referendum now looks weak. ……….when it comes to all things EU Farage’s sharp tongue and wit shine through……….in my view………….:)

telemachus

Easy for Farage who has no responsibility
*
And never will have

Colonel Mustard

Another -1 for you

anncalba

Just had to scroll down about 50 comments from telemachus before I found anything worth reading. Why is this man allowed to take over?

Alexsandr

-1 as useless disqus doesnt count down votes any moe

telemachus

Besotted also?

Alexsandr

wot? i hate you and your useless lefty paedophone overspending lying illiterate chums in the lump dumps and leibour

telemachus

No chums of mine in the LibDems
Except when exposing Farage

Alexsandr

lump dumps and labour are both overspending big nanny state parties.

telemachus

But Labour care and are reasonable
Did Labour rob our poor student young of higher education by putting up student fees?

Andy

Labour are a bunch of Fascists.

telemachus

It works in opposition to communism, socialism, liberal democracy and traditional conservatism. Fascism is usually placed on the far right correctly

Alexsandr

national socialists? the key is in the socialist bit. they were really into big state – state controls everything.

telemachus

The name belies the fact that they were ultra right wing

Alexsandr

show me where they favoured laisez faire economy and small state?

telemachus

Part of a fascist network from Mussolini to Franco to Pinochet

Colonel Mustard

Hitler:- “We are socialists, we are enemies of today’s capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are determined to destroy this system under all conditions.”

Miliband: ‘Yes, I am a socialist. What I do say is that there are big unfairnesses in our society, and part of the job of government is to bring about social justice and to tackle those unfairnesses.’

The prosecution rests its case. For now.

robbydot

The man can’t even speak Englsh, big unfairnesses?

Andy

Fascism is a creed of the Left, which is why you embrace the evil creed with such relish.

telemachus

Yes Pinochet told me just that

Andy

General Pinochet was a Military dictator. The clue is in his rank, you worthless Fascist cretin.

telemachus

OK
Mussolini
Franco
You cannot win this one

Valerie Arnold

Pinochet was an evil dictator but still the Labour welcomed him into this country as they did Pohl Pott and Gadaffi, all evil wicked men.

Nicholas chuzzlewit

No Labour is the party of lies, lying, filthy liars, mediocrity, failure and incompetence.

telemachus

But care

Nicholas chuzzlewit

Labour is a party of Fascists and care only about themselves and forcing people to do their will. It is the party of lies, lying and filthy liars.

Alexsandr

it was labour who thought up student fees in the first place.
and the ‘uncaring’ tories put in place measures for the poorer students to have lower or zero fees.
and no-one has to pay back until they are earning a decent amount.
at least be accurate.

Colonel Mustard

Tuition fees introduced in 1998 under a Labour government.

Tuition fees increased in 2004 under a Labour government.

Inequality in the payment of tuition fees by British students introduced by devolution, also the result of a Labour government’s policies. One nation?

The Browne Review which advised removing the cap on tuition fees was initiated in November 2009 under a Labour government.

Valerie Arnold

telemachus, “LABOUR CARE” are you on this planet, they left this country in a diabolical state, “no money left” for a start, they survived on borrowed money, borrowed money has to be paid back.

Valerie Arnold

telemachus. The only reason they did anything at all, was to make the unemployment figures look good, all kids were encouraged to “go to Uni” that kept them of the unemployment list, many of them took “degrees” which would be of no use finding a job.

saffrin

No, they did however introduce tuition fees for what was once free.
Labour also dumbed the education system down so much that further education became an absolute necessity.
It hasn’t even been three years since Labour wrecked everything this country was ever good for.
Do you really believe the people will forget so easily?
In no way does today’s coalition government’s failures enhance Labour’s chances of being elected, forgiven or forgotten.

Golben Amduke

That word paedophone -it has a certain ring to it….

Alexsandr

oops. corrected!

fozz

I suppose literally that could be a baby alarm brand name but somehow I don’t think it would sell well.

Tom Allalone

What ringtones would a peadophone offer?

Kitty MLB

How many others are there that you are besotted with, dear Telemachus ?

telemachus

Ed Balls dear

robbydot

Please don’t encourage the old bore.

HookesLaw

Farage does not stand up to the EU. Look at his voting record.

robbydot

Doesn’t stand up? Have you heard of YouTube?

HookesLaw

‘stand up to’
He will stand up and make a self serving speech. But where are the votes where is the actual ‘fight’ for what he alleges is our interests?
Vote for a UKIP MEP and all you are going to do is vote for someone interested in the expenses ‘some of which do not require a receipt’ and not actually doing any work in return.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article4028266.ece
‘Ukip asks MEPs for £10,000 ‘from your lavish expenses’
‘Ukip MEPs are encouraged to pay a “tithe” to the party’s headquarters of £10,000 a year and have been told they can afford this because as well as their salary they receive “generous expenses” from the European Parliament “some of which does not require receipts”.’
‘ “It was implied that we could use the allowances. They said that between salary and allowances we made a lot of money, therefore we were in a perfect position.” ‘

There’sno point in them voting. It all decided in the back rooms, this rubber stamping of voting just gives it a legitimacy it doesn’t deserve.
Don’t vote I say, don’t encourage the bastards..

Valerie Arnold

All MEPs get the same , expenses receipts are the same for all MEPs. If Nigel and Co were in to for the money, they would not be trying to get us out and lose their job, they put country before money and power, If they were only interested in money and power they would have joined either the Cons or the Lab a long time ago, they would all be very rich by now, instead of sticking to their principles over years of striving for their goal.

Kitty MLB

Nick Cleggie loves Britain and fighting Farage.
Really, bless! Well his parties colours are united with Nigel’s perhaps he
protests too much ( Nigel now changes parties logo, or destroys the Lib Dems)
I am afraid Nickie the days when everyone agreed with you are well and truly
over. He has shown his true colours and we know the Lib Dems to be untrustworthy
anti- English, treacherous snakes and not the cuddly tree huggers they pretend
to be. Cameron was naïve to trust them.
Loving Britain means loving the coalition, No old thing, Loving the coalition ( especially the Lib Dem part) means loving the anti-British EU and we love you sooooo
much that we would like you to take a swim across the English Channel and
join your soul mates in beloved Brussels.

telemachus

And yet he rounds on Farage

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down one’s political future for the Greater good of our Nation

Colonel Mustard

And another -1

ItinerantView

Clegg is in thrall to an undemocratic organistaion, that aims to dismantle the nation states of Europe and has undermined every liberal democracy in Europe.
To see being ruled by unelected EU-crats, as good for ‘our nation’ is beyond parody.

glurk

Any chance you can shut down your wobbling lanrynx for the good of the nation?

Valerie Arnold

You mean “political suicide”

telemachus

So sorry to see the High Sheriff feels you cannot look after yourself
*
You may be usually off beam but I detect backbone

Kitty MLB

What are you rattling away about now, Telemachus ?
Mindboggling, and what is this about a backbone- not a jellyfish you know.

HookesLaw

In being reduced to loving Britain then he is descending into the land usually occupioed by scoundrels. So too of course is Farage.

In truth Clegg is now showing us his worth
No other party or leader is addressing the Cancer of Ukip

Colonel Mustard

-1 here too as you try to dominate the thread with your loathesome tripe.

Personally I prefer the Capricorn of UKIP. Just as warm but less humid.

Alexsandr

clegg is worth as much as an icelandic train ticket.

telemachus

Icelandtrain is extremly happy to have achieved the first train line in
Iceland.

Icelandtrain is very proud to have achieved its goal thanks to
the work of all the users.

The first 20 , the best “rail track layers” in
the Hall of Fame
will receive by e-mail in the next 2 weeks Icelandtrain printable tickets, first
class, valid until 2050!”

Colonel Mustard

Loving Britain involves loving coalition?

Yeah, right. Personally I’d love Britain a lot more if the Illiberal Undemocrats never existed.

Kitty MLB

Colonel, there is nothing democratic about the liberals, in the national interest
was a magnificent smoke screen. I rue the day we had those TV debates
and was introduced to the real evil serpent and his trickery.

telemachus

Still besotted

Colonel Mustard

Like you. Your obsession extends to articulating the unhealthy products of your imagination even in threads where I haven’t commented.

You are a creepy stalker. A repulsive, nasty little man who really ought to leave Kitty be.

Kitty MLB

I can see.

telemachus

See what kitty dear

Kitty MLB

That you are besotted with the delightful Colonel
and that you continue to plague the poor chap.
I hope you will soon leave him alone and move your
whatever its called towards someone/ people more suitable.
I would have thought the beguiling siren calls from Labour List aught
to be calling you by now.

telemachus

You really are a mutual admiration society

Colonel Mustard

Bothers you does it?

Noted by counsel.

telemachus

Yes I remember that too
‘I have the time,, the inclination and the money……….

Colonel Mustard

More evidence of an unhealthy obsession.

Kitty MLB

Telemachus wears his ‘ unhealthy obsessions’ like
a cloak. The one that troubles me the most is the obsession
with Ed Balls, even the most rabid leftie doesn’t have time
for that miscreant.

telemachus

But he makes you smile

Kitty MLB

Ed Balls doesn’t do that, whenever you mention his name
I have an urge to hide beneath a table, getting very strange
looks from Cadbury in the process.
Someone else makes me do that, or it maybe its a snarl !
no one can be quite as bonkers in the same way & drives people up the wall in quite the same way.
Well I am off this afternoon to upset a few at Labour List,
its like a sweet shop, hundreds of them to torment.

gerontius

Telemachus,
All very stale.
You’ll have to up the standard if you want to hang on to your job as the Sad Little Shill.
Perhaps the party should replace you with someone younger.

Kitty MLB

Why would this trouble telemachus,
The feminine intuition is now stirring.

telemachus

Telemachus is Telemachus and needs no support

Colonel Mustard

Says the troll who invents a whole team of “associates” and tells us Dalai was one of them.

Tee-hee.

telemachus

I think I told you yesterday that it was you who were accusing me of that

Colonel Mustard

No, the evidence will speak for itself, not according to your selective re-hashing of it. You are on record as claiming a ‘team’ of ‘associates’ that included David Lindsay and Dalai, amongst others.

And Dalai honestly refuted that when I asked him.

telemachus

Dalai is indeed one of the extended team
I read the post you took as refutation and it was opaque

Colonel Mustard

Only to you.

Besides if that were true you wouldn’t need to interpret his comments as opaque or otherwise. You slipped up there you silly little man.

telemachus

I suspect you understand not the concept of the ‘extended’ team

Colonel Mustard

Probably not since it is your concept anyway. Who knows what imperative motivates your Mittyesque witterings. Who cares.

telemachus

I care
It is evident that the right care little

Colonel Mustard

You say you care.

You say it is evident the right care little.

Your perspective. Your opinion. Your definition of care.

Hexhamgeezer

‘care’ as in liquidate?

Kitty MLB

Oh I know what you need and its not support
as you pointed out and that was not being offered ,
son of Odysseus.

telemachus

Remember what Dad and I did in the well built Hall

Colonel Mustard

Ah, finally the fantasies of violence towards others re-emerge. Whether by the bow or incarcerating in the gulag.

You socialists are all the same.

telemachus

The strong survive
*
However it is the duty of the strong to then care for the weak
You folk have never got that

Colonel Mustard

My ancestors were living to the code of the strong protecting the weak centuries before yours even set foot here. So no impertinent presumptions please.

telemachus

Then are you not ashamed to betray your forbears

Colonel Mustard

I have not betrayed them. Your labels of me are not the reality of my life.

rtj1211

We all know that.

What are you FOR??

Are you for extreme wealth lording it over 50 million serfs?? I”m not.

Are you for doing whatever the Americans tells us to?? I’m not.

Are you for the promotion of tax evasion by corporations who then tell the rest of the people that there will be one law for them and one for us?? I’m not, but those supporting the EU-US trade deal will be.

Are you for warmongering because of long-lost egotistical empire buffers still thinking that it’s our place to police the world as the lowly constables of the US Inspectorate?? I’m not, but the Conservatives and the Labour Party are.

Having an irascible hatred about anything and everything doesn’t make your utterances very attractive you know.

Are you capable of construction expression, leadership or the like??

Or are you just a particularly aggressive form of Victor Meldrew??

Do tell………

telemachus

Mustard is for Nicholas
His views are a peculiar form of anarchism known as Makhnovism

Colonel Mustard

Constantly repeating that I am Nicholas (so what?) will just make the evidence of your stalking and harassment appear more aggravated and obsessive.

As for anarchy and makhnovism. Your labels. Nothing to do with my reality. Which I own. Not you.

telemachus

You manifest

Colonel Mustard

No, I comment freely. And you should not obsess about it.

Colonel Mustard

What am I for? The freedom to express my opinion without harassment from prats like you and telemachus mainly. They are just comments not a manifesto. It just so happens that there is more about politics to detest than admire these days.

But I have to say it is amusing to be compared to Meldrew at the end of a spittle-flecked rant like that.

telemachus

Renwick once pointed out in an interview that the name “Victor” is ironic, since he almost always ends up as the loser.

Colonel Mustard

Which has nothing to do with my reality – again.

And you have missed the point of my comment anyway since it was not I who was ranting like “Victor”.

telemachus

Now just what is your reality?
The Colonel?
Pre Flounce Nicholas?
Right Wing Politics – No
In truth I perceive you are in conscious or subconscious denial. You and I read Das Kapital and Lenin’s Oeuvre and were hooked
I see it shining thru each and every post

Colonel Mustard

Keep digging that hole. My reality is not yours to determine or even speculate about.

telemachus

But your anarchistic Makhnovism is evident for all to see, even Kitty

Colonel Mustard

You’d have to poll “all” first to determine whether that were true. I realise your delusion is that you think you speak for everyone but there are limits even to that incredibility.

The other detail of evidence that you should be aware of is that characterising my comments according to your own weird and prejudicial labelling process will not help your case.

telemachus

Look my dear Colonel
It is clear reading through your posts that you have journeyed from a commentator whose creed was pure Keith Joseph to the current situation where you cannot make your mind whether to emulate Pierre Joseph Proudhon or Errica Malatesta

Colonel Mustard

Clear to you maybe. But drawing such conclusions from an obsessive accumulation of my comments would demand the answer “So what?” from most reasonably minded folk – and tend to incriminate you.

My today is not my yesterday or even my tomorrow. It is even less yours.

telemachus

I accept some of that
You created telemachus in January 2011 along with a couple of other Josephites
telemachus has been moulded by the unreasonable to believe and adhere to the creed of the charismatic future of British Politics, Ed Balls, Yvette and Andy Burnham and indeed yes Angela Eagle

Colonel Mustard

As telemachus created we who dissent from him, also moulded by the unreasonable left to believe and adhere to the concept of freedom from those who would tyrannise the future of British politics, Ed Balls, Yvette and Andy Burnham and indeed yes Angela Eagle, and the rest of that gang.

That is pluralism in politics. You should embrace and celebrate it as representing the diversity you supposedly believe in rather than desperately trying to suppress it.

telemachus

Problem with diversity is that when the right take charge the apportion the resources to their friends and let the disadvantaged go to the wall
I have toyed with suggesting the next Labour Government consider an ‘enabling act’

Colonel Mustard

No, that is what people like you say happens when the right take charge. See elsewhere re your equally false statements about tuition fees.

telemachus

Yes we do need it

NB for tyros An enabling act is a piece of legislation by which a legislative body grants an entity which depends on it for authorization or legitimacy of power to take certain actions. For example, enabling acts often establish government agencies to carry out specific government policies in a modern nation. The effects of enabling acts from different times and places vary widely.

It works: see 23/3/33

Colonel Mustard

Well of course we could expect you to want to empower the unelected, unaccountable Labour-sponsored quangocracy.

john king

Are you for real, or a right winger making the case for genuine politics by setting up a caricature lefty to show just how ridiculous they are?
If so hearty congratulations. You’ve served the right very, very well.

Kitty MLB

Explain Dear dear little Telemachus ‘ even Kitty’ ?
my soul will not rest until it knows the meaning of this.

telemachus

When besotted you often see things thru rose tinted spectacles

Rhoda Klapp8

His defence of the EU didn’t seem to mention the EU or justify what it is or what it does. He is of course paid by the EU. Far be it from me to say he is a traitor though, because he owes no such loyalty to the UK.

HookesLaw

Why not criticise Faerage for pretending that being supposedly ‘out’ of the EU would be meaningfully different from being ‘in’.
Why not stop pretending yourself.

telemachus

Rhoda

We see far too little of you these days

Even if your posts are a little wide of the mark

*

“He is of course paid by the EU”
Evidence?

Colonel Mustard

and -1 again.

Alexsandr

look up his EU pension.

telemachus

Historic

Alexsandr

how? it hasnt been paid yet. His pension is dependant on him being pro EU. I suspect if we leave the EU his pension goes. Good.

telemachus

Thst is nonsense
I have seen the records
It is protected

Colonel Mustard

I agree that your comments are nonsense. Have you realised how many times you have commented here in response to others comments and how deranged it makes you look?

All good evidence though.

saffrin

Clegg Haw-haw.

telemachus

So an appointment with Pierrepoint then?

Colonel Mustard

-1 again

Andy

You can share his drop.

telemachus

My predecessor did
That is why you see so many dopplegangers

Andy

‘I hate Britain’ would be more accurate, and ‘Love the EU’. The man is a complete idiot and a man totally devoid of honest or honour.

telemachus

‘Love the EU’
This does not equal ‘The man is a complete idiot’
*
It equals ‘this is a sage politician who has weighed up what is best for his country’

Colonel Mustard

-1

Alexsandr

no he is a gold digger sucking at the EU teat with his pension. He is no friend of the UK.

telemachus

Has to be
He is attacking Farage

Cyril Sneer

-2

(-1 as guest, -1 as Sneer)

Andy

It means, you Fascist moron, that the witless git is looking after his EU pension. He is bought and paid for.

telemachus

No son
The pension is guaranteed
He has no shares in whether in or out other than the best interests of you and me

Andy

He has his own interest at heart you gutless moron.

telemachus

Uniquely among the leaders he is the one least driven by personal ambition

Alexsandr

if so why did he go into coalition with the hated tories? Cos he could be deputy PM with cars, status and pension.

telemachus

To stabilise the economy

Alexsandr

that labour f*cked.

telemachus

Lehman

Nicholas chuzzlewit

Lehman Bros did not cereate a structural deficit of £160 Billion or a 7.4% contraction of the conomy. That was the work of Gordo Brown.

The deficit was manageable until US subprime triggered the contraction

Alexsandr

no. gordy spent during years of plenty instead of accumulating a surplus for the years of famine. Because he believed in ‘no more boom and bust’ that makes him truly culpable for his mismanagement. Read your keynes.

telemachus

Forget textbooks
Without US subprime all would have been well
Read Gordon’s book

Alexsandr

so we have an idiot who screwed the public finances. and you want me to read his book explaining how he didnt. I’ll pass, thanks. I’ll read winnie the pooh if I want childish ramblings.

telemachus

It goes to the truth

the viceroy’s gin

…Pooh goes to the truth? Well compared to the Broon, yeah, that’s probably true.

Oh dear, that’s more than total UK wealth of 7,300 bn, and we’ve ignored lots of the debts such as PFI, ….

gerontius

No it wasn’t.

br14

Someone explain to me how “US subprime” contributed to rapid money supply growth in 2004 on, and ultimately to a rapid expansion of UK national debt.

LB

Lehman’s liquidators just announced a 5 bn surplus.

global city

That is true… he is utterly in thrall to the dogma and ideology of the European Project, just as all those Trots and Nazis of previous eras on the continent.

He is a dangerous moron.

telemachus

You may be correct in paragraph one
But this is a good thing

global city

Please explain how losing the small grip that you have on our political system is ‘a good thing’…. and this compounded with that power being transferred to continental bureaucrats!

br14

Then why did he join Cameron in a desperate thirst for power (they were both fools).

I fear personal ambition is his only goal. That and a nice cushy life as an EU commissioner. How he must hate the idea Farage might get his way and his dream of a seat at the high table of a United States of Europe fail to be realised.

global city

but it is you who loses your democratic rights and most else you consider to be important.

Don’t you get that?

telemachus

Depends on your attitude to European federalism

Colonel Mustard

European federalism. ‘Europa’ without the uniforms and marches.

telemachus

I am not personally bothered whether folks wear burkas as long as we create a dynamic entity to take us forward into the changing world

Colonel Mustard

It is not for you to create anything. You are not God or a tinpot dictator. Society is not yours to control, coerce or impose upon. You do not own it. It will develop and change with or without the ministrations of politicians and governments. History has clearly taught you nothing.

telemachus

I wish to create nothing
But rejoice in a Federal Europe to take us into the 2020′s

Colonel Mustard

” . . . as long as we create . . . ”

More dissembling. ‘We create’ speaks for itself.

telemachus

It is being created and Farage and the Tory right can do zilch to stop it

the viceroy’s gin

…we’ll see in about 60 days, lad.

Colonel Mustard

“we create”, “I wish to create nothing”, “it is being created”.

Make your mind up little robot.

Tom Allalone

Societies where large numbers of people wear burkas are not usually noted for being dynamic. Incidentally, you are only one or two people in Britain or indeed the world, who would describe Nick Clegg as a sage politician

global city

That is defined by those who are actually in charge and driving both the project and the ideology.

The EU cannot be supported on some lunatic article of faith that, because you support the theory of cooperation and ‘partnership’ then the EU has to be a good thing.

I am opposed to the UK being part of any supranational project that demands the ceding of major chunks of power to another source. I am a strong supporter of inter-governmentalism in certain fields, but then most subjects go way beyond the continent and are truly global.

The EU has been superseded by history and the march of time. It is an obsolete project, based on bankrupt ideologies that see elites as best placed to have benign total rule and build society ‘on our behalf’.

Most people understand the danger when they are faced with the reality of the EU structures, that is why Clegg and the other europhiles still work so hard to hide what they actually support, as in today when the man spoke almost like some extreme nationalist!

It is all silly but dangerous early 20th C political doctrine. The sooner you understand that the better you will grasp the threat to your own liberties.

LB

Not if we are out of the EU. I doubt the EU will honour that deal.

LB

Yes it does. He’s in favour of migrants getting access to welfare for the cost of £1.56

That makes him a complete and dangerous idiot.

Conway

Rather it means he has summed up what is best for his (EU) pension.

Tim Reed

“I hate Britain”.

Indeed. Here’s Clegg’s opinion of his countrymen in 2002. I’m sure it sounded clever when he was an MEP, kissing up to the Eurocrats. Today,
it shows the utter craven dishonesty of the man.

The Liberal Democrat leader said the British have “a misplaced sense of superiority, sustained by delusions of grandeur”.

“All nations have a cross to bear, and none more so than
Germany with its memories of Nazism,” Mr Clegg wrote. “But the British
cross is more insidious still. A misplaced sense of superiority,
sustained by delusions of grandeur and a tenacious obsession with the
last war, is much harder to shake off.”

This man has no business being anywhere near government, in any capacity.

ClausewitzTheMunificent

To be fair he has a point though. The British are fairly conceited.

crosscop

“The British are fairly conceited”
Raaayyyciiist!!!

ClausewitzTheMunificent

Hehehehehe. Sorry mate, even non-native Britons share the same attitude. Besides which, British people don’t constitute a race. All completely irrelevant of course, but I liked the joke too much not to reply.

crosscop

Africans and Asians don’t constitute a race either – but your feet won’t touch if you dare to generalise negatively about their characteristics.

ClausewitzTheMunificent

Well now that’s a little unfair since the comment I replied about had nothing to do with Asia or Africa. More importantly, I don’t really know any Africans or Asians, and have never been there so could only speculate, whereas I’ve met quite a few Englishmen of all ages. I will say this though, that most Chinese are completely closed to strangers – and mainlanders even more so. I’m afraid I don’t know too much about them. I have however met a wide range of Europeans and have lived in 2 different countries. Sure the French are unbearably cocky about themselves, but this doesn’t absolve the English completely. But, I will recognise that my comment wasn’t wholly fair to the latter, since it singled them out for this behaviour while exceptionalism is in fact a worldwide phenomenon. Exceptionalism is I think the enemy of true nationalism and patriotism. For why should a man only feel proud of his country if it be marked out by God as superior, and what would happen to his patriotism if this assumption were to be severly shaken? Moreover one cannot in my view be a legitimate nationalist without a profound and contextual understanding of one’s nations’ history – and history is not blind in but one eye – it has no favourites. Rather it is the man who must make a conscious effort to appreciate his homeland in light of the uniqueness arising at the root from its ordinary qualities.

ClausewitzTheMunificent

P.S. I agree. But I have an argumentative streak. The way the “racism” straw man argument is used to shut down dissenting opinion in this country is absolutely disgraceful.

Cyril Sneer

“The British are fairly conceited.”

We can afford to be, we’re a pretty awesome nation. Look at everything us Brits have achieved, all from this tiny little island. If there is a country that has punched far and above its weight in the world then that would be Britain.

Not conceited, the truth.

ClausewitzTheMunificent

This can be said of most countries or ethnic groupings at some point in their history even as unlikely a people as the Swedes who for a short half-century subjugated most of Northern Europe. Moreover Britain is far from a little island, it is the 8th largest island in the world, and rich with coal and iron and woodland. It is relatively safe from attack because of the Channel. The truth is that having lost one of the shortest lasting Empires in human history 60 years ago, Britain is just no longer very important, or at least not important enough to justify the magnitude of the conceit.

ClausewitzTheMunificent

N.B. This is not an argument in favour of the European Union.

davidraynes

There is more in that article that demonstrates what a clown this man is:

It also emerged that in 2001 Mr Clegg said Britain should legalise brothels.

“Prostitution is never going to go away and it is no use pretending that it will,” he said. “It’s time we stopped sweeping these issues under the carpet and took a grown-up attitude in Britain like they have in the Netherlands.”

“a grown-up attitude like they have in the Netherlands” – where women display themselves in windows like goods for sale in a shop. What a complete, self-deceiving as well as self-serving idiot the man is.

DougS

I believe that he also said that ‘we need to be put in our place’ – presumably by the EU!

And if we stay in, that’s exactly what they’ll do.

We truly are the world’s stupidest country if we continue to borrow more and more money to send to the anti-democratic troughers at the EU.

2trueblue

The man really wants a nice job in Europe and let it be soon, very soon, please. He is not British, and does not believe in real democracy, otherwise why did he not ensure that we had the boundary changes to make our system more democratic?
I am looking forward to the debate with Farage.
He simply does not like the British.
There is also the big lie that 3 million jobs in the UK and 50% of our exports rely on the EU. They do not. It keeps getting bandied about and there is no rebuttal and it is not a fact. The goods leave the UK and go to Rotterdam and from there a large proportion go to the rest of the world.

Conway

Indeed. Clegg so “loves” the UK that he said it was “unpatriotic” not to support the EU! The man is delusional.

Lady Magdalene

I hope the voters of Sheffield Hallam give us a “Portillo moment” to remember for a very long time in May 2015.

telemachus

“Rumours about the UKIP leader’s Parliamentary intentions for Clegg’s Sheffield Hallam seat were set alight on Wednesday night when London cabbie Neil Johnson, after having one of Farage’s “inner circle” in the back of his cab, tweeted that “Nigel Farage is going up against Nick Clegg…”
*
If so Farage would split the Labour and Tory vote and Clegg would be back in by miles

Colonel Mustard

-1 for you

Noa

-2 for camrod

Wessex Man

-3 for pap

Samuel Kaine Wheeler

Sheffield Hallam is on of the most antithetical seats to UKIP in the country. It’s voter base are 1st generation professionals who read the Guardian and whose parents were working class kids done good.

He might as well run for Glasgow Kelvin or Oxford East.

Nicholas chuzzlewit

The Champagne is already in the fridge.

IJMO_DS

Labour are throwing everything they have got in to that seat. They want Clegg out in case they have to form a coalition and he is as unacceptable to them as Gordon Brown was to the Lib Dems in 2010.

Rockin Ron

I would like to see that but unfortunately I don’t think it will happen because so many people will stand against Clegg that the vote will be split and Clegg will be re-elected.

LB

The man’s a muppet.

150 a week for 3 months and you can fill your boots with welfare.

No income tax, and less than 2p a day in NI, for all the welfare you can lay your hands on.

Alexsandr

who cares? the limp dumps will be mostly gone in 2015. good riddance.

telemachus

Vince can stay at business in liason with Ed Balls if necessary from the red benches

Colonel Mustard

& -1

Alexsandr

He should have been on the opposition benches since 2010, for he is a labour stooge. His 1 good moment was calling the hapless brown ‘Mr Bean’. Bit unfair on Mr Bean i thought.